


Harry Potter Returns to Hogwarts

by Kelette



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:03:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelette/pseuds/Kelette
Summary: Harry and Hermione return to Hogwarts for different reasons --Hermione to be a student, and Harry to formalize his graduation from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Minerva McGonagall has other plans for them.





	Harry Potter Returns to Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to improve my writing, so please feel free to leave concrit at the end. Thank you!

Harry Potter reached up absentmindedly to rub the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. It didn’t hurt. He had reason to believe it would never hurt again. Yet he found himself rubbing at it now more than before. 

“You’d think, if Voldemort’s gone, I would be able to do something to get rid of it.”

Hermione paged through her book, ignoring him. She had spent an afternoon one month ago looking up information on spell-scars. In the end she told Harry that he was the only person to receive a scar from the Avada Kedavra spell, and that removing it might be impossible, unless he wanted to go to St. Mungo’s to try.

Harry didn’t want to go to St. Mungo’s. He didn’t want to give people an excuse to prod at his scar. He just wanted it to go away. As it was, people stared at him now more than ever before and every time Harry looked in a mirror he saw all the people he couldn’t save in his seven years fighting Voldemort.

“Mr. Potter, Miss Granger.”

The two turned away from their seats at the Gryffindor table. They arrived at Hogwarts one day before the start of term in order to speak to Minerva McGonagall, the new Headmistress of Hogwarts.

“Thank you for waiting,” the Headmistress told them, speaking in softer tones than she would have when they were students.

“Of course, Professor --er, Headmistress,” Hermione corrected herself. 

“So if I understand correctly, you are here to attend your last year at Hogwarts Miss Granger?” McGonagall asked Hermione with a smile.

Hermione nodded with an eagerness that would have made Ron laugh. 

“And you, Mr. Potter, are here to request permission to graduate?”

Harry nodded, avoiding McGonagall’s eyes. Most of seventh years who had received permission to graduate without completing their final year made their decision quickly. Ron had arranged his graduation before going back to his family, all deep in mourning. Hermione didn’t have the heart to tell him she disproved, and so she spent her time criticizing Harry’s decision instead.

“If you’re planning on graduating, why haven’t you done it already?” Hermione had asked him just yesterday.

Harry shrugged. He hadn’t wanted to go back to Hogwarts or risk running into someone he knew. 

“If you’re going to ask to graduate you should do it before the school year starts,” Hermione told him.

“Are they really going to tell me no, even if I wait ten years?” Harry shot back.

Hermione gave him such a frosty glare that he agreed to return to Hogwarts with her to get the permission right away.

“Well I see no reason to object to either of your requests,” McGonagall told them, jolting Harry back to the present. “Let’s walk over to my office.”

Harry and Hermione scrambled to their feet and followed the Headmistress and she spoke. “I know you must have expected to have been Head Girl for your seventh year, Miss Granger, but I was thinking I should let an actual seventh year student take that position.”

“That’s fine, Pro-- Headmistress,” Hermione said quickly.

McGonagall nodded. “Instead I had a favor to ask you. I haven’t managed to find a new Transfiguration teacher, so I was hoping you’d be willing to be my assistant for the class. If I could rely on you for that this year, I’m sure I’ll have no problems balancing the duties of headmistress and professor.”

“O-oh, are you sure?” Hermione asked, blushing. “I’m not sure I know enough to be an assistant teacher…”

McGonagall smiled affectionately. “I’ve found that teaching is often the best way to learn concepts I haven’t fully mastered. In fact, I think this may be the best choice for your education.”

Hermione nodded excitedly and Harry had to smile in spite of himself. 

“As for you Mr. Potter, what are your plans for the upcoming year?”

Harry startled and met McGonagall’s eyes without meaning to. “I…” he trailed off. He had no plans. His heart cried out in exhaustion, begging for a chance to go home and rest, but for the first time in his life he felt he had no home. The Dursley household, which he had relied on for most of his life, would never take him back now that he was an adult. Although the Black house was technically his, he couldn’t go back there without painful memories of everyone in the order who was now gone. Harry had thought about going to the Weasley’s but he didn’t want to intrude on what was a difficult time for their family. The only home-like place he had left was Hogwarts, and that wasn’t an option either.

“You mentioned wanting to become an auror in your fifth year, didn’t you?” McGonagall asked, leading his thoughts back to her question.

“Ah, yeah.”

“If you’re only just now planning to graduate, I suppose you haven’t signed up for the additional education involved in becoming an auror?”

“Not yet, headmistress,” Harry answered quietly. “I thought I might take some time off...”

“So you don’t have any plans for the next year Mr. Potter?” McGonagall asked briskly. They arrived at the Gargoyle, who jumped aside at the word “Chocolate Frog.” 

Harry stared down at the spiral staircase, dreading whatever direction McGonagall might be leading the conversation in.

Hermione had initiated a similar conversation at the start of summer, which ended in Harry seeing a therapist.

“Who am I supposed to see for therapy? A muggle isn’t going to understand this,” he told Hermione. 

Hermione rolled her eyes and introduced him to Malefica Lange, a squib who worked as a therapist for both muggle and magical clients.

Harry wasn’t sure if the therapy was helping, but he wasn’t going to admit to Hermione what a relief it had started to become to be able to vent about the problems in his life.

The headmaster’s office now resembled McGonagall’s old office, although some relics from Dumbledore’s days remained. Harry and Hermione glanced around politely while McGonagall fetched Hermione the paperwork she needed.

“What is Mr. Weasley planning to do?” McGonagall asked in a gentle tone. No doubt she was well aware of how Fred’s death affected the entire family.

“He’s planning to live at home for a while to help his parents,” Hermione answered. “While he works at the joke shop to help George.” 

George couldn’t stand to live at home, and Charlie and Bill had both returned to their old lives. Percy was staying with his parents at the moment, an awkward arrangement while Percy tried to make amends (although both of his parents immediately forgave him). Ginny would be returning to Hogwarts for a final year. Ron thought it might be too difficult for his mom to cope with all of the children gone from the house, and so planned to stick around for awhile.

McGonagall nodded stiffly. “That’s very thoughtful of him, although at some point I hope he starts to plan for his own future. Now then, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall sat down at the desk and faced Harry. “Perhaps I could interest you in a job?”

“Me?” Harry asked.

McGonagall nodded. “We lost many brave witches and wizards over the past year. It’s been a struggle staffing all the positions, and I’m afraid that no one has applied to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Harry was silent. Beside him, Hermione perked up.

“I have approached a few talented individuals, but they seem to be superstitiously afraid of the position,” McGonagall continued in her no-nonsense voice.

“Well, Voldemort did curse the position,” Harry said, now seeing where the conversation was going.

“Voldemort is dead, Mr. Potter. Now I seem to recall that you were responsible for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts to many of your classmates in your fifth year, and proved to be a better teacher than the majority of professors who actually filled the position.”

Harry glanced over at Hermione and quickly realized he’d be receiving no support from her. “I’m not sure I’m qualified for the position.”

“Mr. Potter, I would not be offering you the position if I didn’t think you were qualified.”

Harry stared at McGonagall’s patient face. This was what Voldemort had wanted, to return to the only place that he had ever had to call a home. But what did Harry want?

He thought back to the days of D.A., the only happy moments in what had otherwise been a rather awful year.

“All right,” he found himself saying before he could stop himself.

McGonagall smiled down at him. “Excellent. Let’s go open your office then. Since I now have this one, Hermione you can stay in the transfiguration office you’d like.”

Hermione’s eyes widened at this offer.

McGonagall hurried them down the stairs and gave them the keys they needed. 

“You know, I think if you weren’t so insistent on being a student, McGonagall would have made you the full transfiguration professor,” Harry said as soon as the new headmistress had left them. 

“Don’t be ridiculous Harry, I don’t know enough to be the transfiguration professor.”

“If I know enough to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, then you know enough transfiguration Hermione,” Harry told her.

“This is fantastic news,” Hermione told him. “Hogwarts is finally going to have a proper Defense Against Dark Arts professor. I’m going to go send Ron an owl, want to come with me?” 

Harry declined, choosing instead to go unlock the door to his new office.

He’d been in the office so many times, for Gilderoy Lockhart, Remus Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody’s imposter, Dolores Umbridge, and Severus Snape. Had he ever visited while Quirrel was professor? Harry couldn’t recall at that moment. Already his memories of his first year at Hogwarts were starting to grow empty.

He certainly hadn’t visited while a Death Eater taught Dark Arts instead of Defense, for that he was grateful.

The office had been stripped bare. Harry walked around. He could imagine giving Hedwig a spot by the window, if Hedwig hadn’t been gone.

There was an empty desk and chair. Harry collapsed into the seat to grip his head and rub at his scar.

Hogwarts was the only place like home he had left. Perhaps the position was still cursed, and he’d leave after a year, but perhaps he’d stay awhile. With Voldemort gone, he wasn’t sure he wanted to fight dark wizards as an Auror anymore. Teaching a new generation to fight against dark arts might be a preferable alternative.

“Harry, McGonagall wants to meet you in the staff room,” Hermione said, hovering at the door way. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Harry told her, standing up. “I can’t believe I agreed to this.”

“No one could argue that you aren’t qualified for the job,” Hermione reminded him cautiously.

“Everyone’s going to be staring at your scar.”

“Everyone’s been staring at your scar your entire life. Besides, students are going to get bored of that quickly.”

Harry smiled. “I wonder if Ron’s going to feel left out.”

“It sounds like Ron’s been enjoying the joke shop,” Hermione said. “He never liked school much, anyway.”

“What, and I did?”

“Anyway, we can visit Ron at Hogsmeade, and he can visit us whenever he likes. I’m just not ready to be done at Hogwarts yet,” Hermione finished in a small voice.

Harry glanced at her. That was the first time it occurred to him that Hermione might have been desperate to stay in school for reasons other than simply wanting to study, and worked so hard to encourage Harry (since it was too late for Ron) to stay at Hogwarts because she didn’t want to be alone.

“Everything alright Hermione?” he asked, surprised to realize it was the first time he had asked her than since the battle of Hogwarts.

Hermione gave a shaky laugh. “Of course,” she replied unconvincingly. She must have realized that, because she continued, “studying is the only thing I’m good at. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do once I graduate.” She shook her head. “It’s a minor problem, really. Staying here will give me another year to focus on my future.”

Harry nodded. He resisted the urge to reach up and rub at his scar again and gave friendly smiles to the ghosts in the hallway. It was all right if he didn’t know what to do with his future yet, or if he didn’t know how to handle his past. For the meantime, he was home.


End file.
